The UnknowN AuthoR
by CrazyPretz
Summary: AU.  Demyx is set on convincing Zexion that a book series is amazing, little does he know that Zexion is the mysterious Author who wrote it. Zemyx / mentioned AxelRoxas SoraRiku NamineKairi /others.
1. Of mobs and telephones

**Dun dun DUN! -- Its my first time writing a chapter fic, although not my first time trying. :D**

**Disclaimer: If I owned this shiz, your life would be H E L L. **_**Got it memorized?**_

**-xxx-**

Kingdom Hearts was _the_ best seller series to hit the market today. Or possibly _any_ day for that matter. And Demyx was at a large bookstore to get his copy of the fourth book, Organization of Memories, which had literally come out five minutes before he had gotten there. Fans were mobbing the store, trying to get their copy before it sold out. Because if you didn't get it _today_ you wouldn't get it for another month and know _everything,_ courtesy of your friends. And because it was the best damn book anyone had _ever _read. _Ever. _It had adventure and romance, and plots and action. All of the characters had personality and a life, and you actually found yourself crying when one of them **faded** or something amazing happened. Everyone was hooked.

Yet no one knew who the amazing author was, he remained a mystery. Assuming he was indeed a 'he'. Across the top of the books was written '**Z. I.**', not telling the gender. Some argued that a woman couldn't have _possibly_ written something that amazing, while others argued back that it _had_ to be a woman because of [insert reason here] or [insert ramble here]. They were just never happy with it. And that's possibly why the author had stayed silent, not saying who he really was. Fan these days are crazy. Of course there were rumors flying around about the great person, like that it was actually written by that one famous movie star, or that he was going to be at the opening sale of the book at that very store. Which he was, but didn't tell anyone, since only a handful of people knew who he was.

Demyx was trying to look over the mob of people trying to shove their way into grabbing a book. He was looking for his friends, Axel, Roxas, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Namine, Marluxia and Larxene. He had others, but this was the crew that he hung out with on a daily basis. Not spotting them, he decided to walk around the store for a bit, to pass the time till they conquered the line together. He sighed a bit as he passed the romance section.

All of his friends were paired up, Roxas and Axel, Namine and Kairi, Sora and Riku, and Larxene and Marluxia. Axel and Roxas had been best friends forever and stubbornly denied any feelings for each other until Roxas ended up in the hospital for two weeks. While Riku and Kairi were Sora's best friends, they had never met his cousins until high school, which were Roxas and Namine, who found herself falling for her redhead friend. They got together over art supplies. Then there was Sora and Riku, who would constantly flirt until Riku accidentally confessed his love for his best friend. Guess who said it back. And finally, the weirdest two in the group. Possibly the weirdest two in Hollow bastion. She was a bitch, while everyone was convinced he was totally and completely gay. None the less, they randomly sat with the others during lunch one day, and just never left. And several years later, the group now in college, Demyx was _still_ somebody-less.

He looked around at where he was, apparently some random section in the store, not noticing where he had been wondering off to. The isle was devoid of any other people, except one guy standing there reading a book in the middle of the two bookshelves. Most other people were at the front, clawing their way to the book. The managers were glad they ordered a thousand copies for just that night.

Demyx noticed that the slate-haired man wasn't paying any attention to the other people in the store, and thought that he to was possibly waiting for the crowed to thin out. She he decided to ask.

"Soo… you here to get Organization of Memories, too?" He asked.

"Hmm?" The male looked up at the taller male, and noticed he was the only one around. "Why no, acctuly. I don't particularly like that series." Demyx's jaw dropped.

"Wha- how- HUH?" Demyx was stumbling over his words, trying to ask _why on earth_ someone didn't like the greatest books ever. Zexion just shrugged.

"I just don't like it, that's all. So I assume you're here to get it?" He glanced down at the book he was holding.

"Err, yeah." Demyx gained enough composure to answer the man. "I was supposed to meet my friends here, actually, but they haven't shown up yet. I wonder what's keeping them…"

"Mmmhm.."

"..because I mean they're _usually_ not late. Well, Sora isn't, and Namine either, but sometimes Axel just goes off in his own world, bring Roxas with him of course. Know what I mean, uhm.. what's your name again?" He asked awkwardly.

"I don't think I mentioned it, but it's Zexion."

"Demyx."

They shook hands and Demyx noticed what he was reading. A biography of Mozart. He didn't really like the guy, but he sure was a musical genius!

"So, you, uh like music?" A pair of, beautiful, Demyx noted, dark blue eyes looked up at him, one usually hidden by a sheet of blue hair. He shook his head.

"Not really. I only needed to read this chapter for my class, and the library was out. So I came here."

"Oh, what's your major?"

"I've got a double major, Science and English."

"Oh! Mine's music."

"So are you going to try to get a book tonight?" He nodded his head to the still-large mass of people.

"No, I don't think I will. I was going try with my friends, but as I said earlier, they haven't shown up."

"I," Zexion paused for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say. "have the book at my house. You can borrow it if you want.." He looked down at the book, he was on the last page. Demyx looked ecstatic. Hardly _anyone_ had the book before tonight, and it was usually the people working with the author.

"YES!" He shouted and then looked embarrassed. "Er, thanks. Wait- I thought you didn't like the books?"

"I don't."

"Then why do you have a copy, before the actual selling date?" Zexion looked unfazed by the question.

"I know someone who works with the company," That wasn't a total lie. "And he gave me the book, trying to convince me to like it."

"Ooooh! I see." The blonde nodded eagerly.

"Demyx! Where are you?" A voice called. Demyx looked to his left and saw his friends standing by the door. With such a large group blocking the door, some people were having trouble getting by, grumbling about something that had to do with long lines and ungrateful hooligans. He waved and saw it was Kairi who was yelling and was jumping up and down to get his attention (along with that of other shoppers), and holding hands with her girlfriend.

"Hey guys, nice for you to finally show up!" He yelled back, and Axel and Riku smirked.

"Sorry, my friends are here, I've gotta go!" He walked away a few steps, and then turned to Zexion. He took out a pen and grabbed his hand.

"Hey!" Zexion said as he was pulled forward by the force of Demyx pulling on his hand. Demyx scribbled something on his hand.

"Gotta go! Call me about the book! Im _definitely_ going to change your mind on Kingdom Hearts!" And he turned and bounced towards his friends.

Zexion looked at his hand, and half-smiled. Maybe coming to see the sale of his book wasn't such a bad thing.

-xxx-

**Sooooo! How did ya like it so far? Im sorry if they're a bit OOC, but I can't separate personalities too well. That and a lot of other things. Please review! ^^**


	2. Of books and cellphones

**I **_**honestly**_** didn't believe I'd get nearly as many reviews/favorites/alerts as I did, and it was just **_**one**_** chapter. Thank you guys so much! Oh, and in case you got any ideas from this, its probably **_**not**_** a good idea to go to the house of someone you just met and talked to for five minutes in a bookshop. But this is the world of Zemyx, im not going to make Zexion a rapist. (at least not in this story *smirks* )**

**Disclaimer:**** If I owned this, your life would be H E L L. thankyouverymuch.**

**-xxx-**

He stared out the window at the raindrops splashing onto one another. For some reason that reminded him of Demyx. Actually, right now, _everything_ reminded him of Demyx. But rain especially. He looked down at his hand for the thousandth time that day, like he had for the past two days, really. The number was fading, and he didn't know why he kept doing it. Maybe it was the fact he didn't come in contact with people very often. There was his editor, and some of the other staff, and his parents when they visited, but that was mainly it.

Demyx was going to be come any time now, in fact, he was two minutes late. Or around that. He said 'around two' not 'ill be there _exactly_ at two P.M.' like Zexion himself would have. Then he heard knocking on the door. Zexion got up abruptly and walked from the living room of the small house to the door, which the slate-haired man opened to find a _very_ wet Demyx.

"Hi!" The blonde said cheerfully, apparently not minding being wet.

"Hello, err, care to come in?"

"Sure!" He said and marched into the house, past Zexion. Effectively pooling the floor in rain water, much to Zexion's dismay. He looked down. "Oh crud, im sorry! I forgot I was wet!" Zexion raised an eyebrow. What kind of idiot forgot he was wet? Demyx, apparently.

"No problem, its raining, after all. I'll be right back." He walked over to a closet next to the bathroom, it had quite a few random towels he had collected over the years in it, including the bright pink one his sister had gotten him a few years back. She had thought it was rather funny, and he had found it in a box when he moved out. Darn girl. He loved her though. He grabbed a light blue towel and headed back to the dripping man.

"Thanks!" He took the towel and started to rub his head. He then pressed it to his chest and pants to absorb the access water. He was wearing black skinny jeans, and a black tee-shirt with a band's name written across it, one Zexion didn't recognize, but he didn't listen to much music. "Nice house!"

"Huh? Oh yes, thank you." He looked around, he didn't think it was a very nice house right now. It might have been if a woman lived there, or anyone who actually cared to decorate it well. He had simply hung up photographs on the bare walls, such of his sister or parents, or old friends that he didn't talk to anymore. He didn't know why he kept them. Possibly to remind him of what he didn't have. Possibly. Or not. He didn't know.

"Sooo…" Demyx said trying to fill the growing silence. "Have you read the book yourself?" Bringing them to the reason why he was there at all. Zexion nodded, acknowledging he had.

"I thought it could use some work, but the fans at the store say otherwise." He chuckled slightly. Despite how he claims he dislikes the books, he still likes the praise he gets for them. Its wonderful to feel what you have done is actually worth something. And the fact his royalties check is a_ very_ large number is nice too.

"I'll have to see about that myself!" He grinned. Zexion rolled his eyes. Couldn't he see he wasn't going to change his mind on the book? Whatever, he could make him see later. _Later?_

"I'll be right back." He told the blonde. Walking into the living room, he looked around to spot the book. He looked past the window he had been sitting at only minutes before. It was still raining, dropping little reminders of the person in the entry. He once again didn't know why. There it was. Sitting on the little table. He grabbed it, looking at the cover. **Cover illustrated by: Aerith Fair**. He liked the girl, he did, really. But not her art. It was too free. Like the colors didn't completely fit into the lines. But she was the wife of his editor's best friend, and she was a skilful artist, and she had illustrated the cover of all of his work. She, however, was pregnant, and would be quitting for awhile. He needed a new artist, even temporarily.

He walked back over to Demyx, who was currently looking at one of the few photographs.

"Is this your girlfriend?" It was one of a few years before, with his sister. She had her arms wrapped around him. It was three months before the accident. He shook his head.

"My sister. She…" His words faltered, not wanting to mention her. "Never mind. Here." His face brightened when the book was handed over.

"Thanks! Really! These books are amazing! I don't get why you don't like them." He shook his head. "I wonder who the author is… He only puts his initials, which is really weird.." Unseen by Demyx, Zexion smiled.

"I was thinking, you can have the book if you want. I can just get another copy later, if I decide to like it." A smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't need it."

"Thanks, Zexion!" The slate-haired man found himself consumed in a hug. "Cant wait to tell my friends I met an awesome guy and got a book!"

"Demyx, let go."

"Oh, sorry!" He said sheepishly as he released the other man. "My friends tell me I do that too much."

"I can see." He looked at his watch and his eyes widened.

"Oh FUDGE." He said. He was going to be late for the movie with Namine. They were going to see another movie most of his friends wouldn't be caught dead in. Kairi and Sora would have, but they had to go see Sora's parents, with Roxas, Riku and Cloud, Sora's older brother. Namine would go see them later, but she had really wanted to see the movie on the opening day. She was funny like that.

"Hmm?"

"Im sorry, I really have to go! Im going to see a movie with my friend!"

"Alright, I'll see you later, I suppose."

"Yeah!" He said enthusiastically, and Zexion rolled his eyes. Was it possible to be that happy all the time?

Demyx and Zexion walked over to the door and opened it for his new friend. As Demyx stepped over the threshold he grabbed the door, turned around and peered at Zexion.

"Ya know, I think we should hang out sometime!"

"Uh, sure?" He grinned and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Zexion went back to the couch, and picked up his laptop. It wasn't raining anymore. The sun was shining on the cushions of the sofa, with the shadows of the still-wet windows making reflections all over the room. A rainbow played across the sky. Good luck, some would say. He was rapidly typing away at the newest installation of the famous series. Even though the last book only came out a few days previous, he had been writing this book since the other had ended. He wasn't sure how many he would be writing, but this was definitely not going to be the last. So far he had written Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 2, and the latest Organization of Memories. The one in the making was Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 days, which would be set during KH: COM.

He didn't understand why people liked them, sure they were interesting, but they weren't as great as many he had read. Although he had gotten many offers to turn the books into a movie or game, he refused. He had seen many a good book go down in flames because of a careless movie that was made on a low budget, or simply because it was made badly and unlike the book. The former, however wouldn't be a problem for him, since he had millions himself from the books, and the fame was enormous. He still didn't want to, though. He had actually told someone once that asked why he didn't like movies. He simply told him that books were like movies in your head(1).

A buzzing noise started vibrating the couch, coming from the slate-haired man's right, and saw it was his sell phone. It was a simple phone, black and blue, with the numbers on the from and a normal sized screen. It didn't need to have internet or all the fancy things people wanted today. He didn't need it, it was a device for texting and calling people. Not a laptop. The screen was lit up and the words: '**1 new message'** were written across it in bold letters.

Zexion picked up the phone and click one of the buttons.

**From: Demyx [1555-999-3661]**

**Y dnt U tell me yur bk was sighned by Z.I. ?1! **

**-**_**end of message-**_

Crap.

-xxx-

**(1) I actually told my mom that when I was like, ten, or something, and she constantly refers to that. Lol.**

**Did you like the ending? 8D **

**I really don't know who Zexion's sister is. I kinda just wrote her as a filler person, but she was in an accident, around 2-3 years before this. Any suggestions on who she is? Kairi, Namine, and Larxene are out of the picture, since they're Demyx's friends, and have never met him before.**


	3. Of texts and car rides

**Hurhur, onto another lovely chapter! Im running out of ideas (lol)! Oh and thank you VERY much ****writesinthunder****, (im using your idea) and the others for the suggestion on Zexy's sister! The feedback was appreciated. Oh, and I suggest you don't try to call these numbers, you'll probably call some angry Chinese man or something (I did that when I was eight by accident, lol).**

**Disclaimer****: Now didn't we talk about this? If owned KH your life would be H E L L.**

**-xxx-**

Demyx stared at the book in his lap. Not just any book. The greatest book in the history of Demyx's life, or so he thought.

He had just gotten back from the movie with Namine; it wasn't what they expected, which made him all the more eager to get home and read _his_ new book. Namine hadn't gotten herself a copy, saying she would read Kairi's copy later, that is if her redhead lover didn't spill everything before she got to it. Kairi tended to blurt things out when she was excited.

The blonde looked at the cover, and thought while the art was nice, Namine could have done better. He flipped open the cover and stared in shock. The initials **Z.I. **were written across the top. Holy _shit_. Not only did he get an early copy of the book, _for free_, but he got a _signed by the author_ book. Holy shit. Did Zexion realize how much this was worth? A hell-of-a-lot. He grabbed his cell phone, and rapidly texted away.

**To: Zexion [1555-666-4910]**

**Y dnt U tell me yur bk was sighned by Z.I. ?1! **

**-**_**end of message-**_

He put the phone down, and looked at the book again. Was he going to want it back? It didn't really matter, it was just… wow. Who gives a book like that away? Zexion, maybe. A beeping noise erupted his though process a few minutes later as he received a text, or so he assumed from how short the ringing was. He clicked the 'open' button, and looked at the reply.

**From: Zexion [1555-666-4910]**

**Was there need to tell you? **

_**-end of message-**_

He looked down at the message. He didn't suppose there really _was_ a reason for Zexion to tell him, because it was simply an extra detail. Not as if he was allergic to peanuts, which he wasn't, and then Zexion giving him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Which he rather liked.

**To Zexion [1555-666-4910]**

**Wl, nt rly. Wazup?**

_**-end of message-**_

So Demyx texted Zexion for the next hour and a half, about anything and everything. From going off on a twenty text rant about how the sky should all ways be purple, and how he believed in merpeople, to a one text idea that popped in his head. The conversation was mostly one-sided, with Zexion only saying 'that's nice' or 'oh really?', and Demyx being the main word provider. Neither minded, they liked talking that way. Much to Zexion's dismay though, Demyx kept using text-dialogue.

Zexion had just texted him that someone was going to kill him if he didn't finish his writing by Tuesday, and he wasn't half done, so he had to stop texting for now.

Demyx looked up as he heard the distinctive muffled slam of the front door to the apartment, thinking it was probably his roommate, Riku. Somehow, in all the mess of college, he started renting an apartment, rather than the usual dorms, and needed a roommate. Enter: Riku. He didn't sign up in time to get a dorm, and need a place. Kairi, Namine, and Sora also hadn't got one in time, so they were sharing a two-bedroom apartment a few blocks away. The others, Axel, Larxene, Marluxia, and Roxas, however, _did_ get a dorm room. Being one of the earliest to sign up, the three boys got paired up in a room together, while Larxene was sharing a room with some girl, Xion, was it?

Demyx looked at the book, he was hardly to chapter three, with all the texting he had been doing, but so far, it was the best book of the series. He didn't need a critic to tell him that. So he settled down against the headboard and began reading.

-xxx-

By Tuesday, Zexion _had_ finished the draft of the part of the newest book, and Cloud had come around to collect it. His editor had often threatened to murder him if he didn't get his work done on time, and Zexion had seen the big sword in his office. And once, he was sure he saw a bloodstain on it. He didn't like to think about the author who's blood might or might not have been shed. But otherwise, Cloud was a pretty decent guy.

Cloud had taken the previous Sunday off to go see his family, which he didn't talk about too much, but he was back to business, which meant more work for Zexion. Authors had a though life. But he figured after he finished the Kingdom Hearts series, he wasn't going to write ever again. He had money, and he had fans of the book he didn't really like, and admirers who don't know he exists.

After Cloud left, Zexion went in the living room and turned on the TV, he earned some non-writing-or-reading time after finishing those chapters. He heard a soft vibrating noise, and found that his cell was in between two of the bottom cushions, as it had slipped there before he had went to bed. There were five messages. The slate-haired man raised an eyebrow. Who texts you that much?

**From: Demyx [1555-999-3661]**

**Hey!**

_**-end of message**__-_

**From: Demyx [1555-999-3661]**

**Hi!.**

_**-end of message-**_

**From: Demyx [1555-999-3661]**

**Zexy?/? Hellllllo?**

_**-end of message-**_

**From: Demyx [1555-999-3661]**

**ZEXY? R U AVOING Ne?**

_**-end of message-**_

**From: Demyx [1555-999-3661]**

**Er, helo?**

_**-end of message-**_

Zexion sighed at the messages, wondering if anyone but Demyx could text that much in the eleven hours since he had gone to sleep. He deleted the first three and replied to the last one, saying that _no_, he wasn't avoiding him, but he had left his phone on the couch when he went to bed at eleven. It was currently ten A.M.

The television played a show that probably ended ten years previous, and they were low quality reruns. Another vibration. He pulled the device out of his white jean's pocket.

**From: Demyx [1555-999-3661]**

**Wanna go 2 th mall? Me n mi frinds r hangn ot n gonna c a moveh lunch time.**

_**-end of message-**_

Perhaps out of sheer boredom, or perhaps he wanted to know more about his eccentric friend, Zexion agreed to go with them to the mall. At least it should offer interesting entertainment, right?

So two hours later, there was a knock on his door, and he opened it to find a rather petite blonde girl, rather than a tall and lanky blonde boy.

"Er, hello?" He said rather awkwardly.

"You're Zexion, right?" He nodded and she continued. "Demyx is driving, and so he sent me to the door." She explained and dragged him over to the door of the van.

"Sorry, all my stuff is in the front, so you'll have to sit in the back." She pointed to the closed door. The girl agilely climbed over the little pile of stuff on the floor of the passenger seat. Which left Zexion to open the other door. He got seated and said hello to his friend.

"So, this is Namine! Our awesome-lesbian-artist-woman-girl-lady of the group!" Demyx introduced her, and she smiled, used to her friend's weird introductions.

"Hi," She said, turned around, looking at him. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." The slate-haired man said absentmindedly.

"Yeah! So now that were introduced, we can have fun!" Unfortunately, his idea of 'fun' was to turn on the radio and sing really loudly and off-key. Halfway though a chorus of '**Love story**', Namine once again turned around and had an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry, he's actually a pretty amazing singer-musician when he wants to be. He's a music major, you know?" Zexion nodded, he remembered that part of the conversation from the bookstore. "Speaking of which, do you go to HBU?" Hollow Bastion University. The _only_ university in Hollow Bastion, _everyone_ went there. If you went to college. He shook his head no.

"Well, actually, I do go there," He said after a moment. "But I take my classes online, its far easier." She nodded, knowing how big some of the classes were.

"Major?" The blonde girl asked, a little loudly, because the other blonde was _still_ singing.

"Double." He practically shouted. "English and Science."

"Ah!"

They continued talking about certain classes they both had to take, occasionally being asked something by Demyx. By the time they arrived at the mall, Zexion was certain he was going to like Demyx's friends.

-xxx-

**Soooo, how is it?**

**Sorry, his sister doesn't appear till the next chapter. Maybe. I haven't decided yet, but she isn't a major roll. I myself have a friend who will text me a hundred times a day, but she only talks about two things, which im quite sick of.**

**Namine rather reminds me of my sort-of cousin Becca, in this. Not sure why. And I forgot to mention this, but the reason Demyx says 'fudge' instead of 'fuck', is because I curse too much, and this summer I took to the habit of saying 'Fudge' or 'crud', and to me, those are more childish than cursing, which fits Demyx, and he only curses when really mad/upset/shocked/ect.**


	4. Of old friends and new ones

**Hey, im back! Normally, that is if there was a normally, I wouldn't be updating so often, but I have [some] ideas and need to write them down. Lol. Sorry about so much texting in the last chapter, but they needed a reason to hang out.**

**Disclaimer:**** Me no [insert Spanish word for own] KH. If me did, your life would be H E L L.**

**-xxx-**

If Zexion had to describe Demyx's, and now his, friends, he would say they were… interesting. He probably had the weirdest collection of people in the entire area. A pink haired man (who happened to be the straightest of them all), a bitch girl, a quiet painter, an energetic redhead girl, a pyromaniac, a grumpy blonde, a childish brunette, and a guy who is quite full of himself. He learned liked being with them, he had forgotten how nice it was to be with people. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling.

When they had gotten out of the van, they met everyone in the theater, and after a debate about what movie they were seeing, were all pushed into one by Kairi. She was rather forceful, which made him wonder how she had ended up with a quiet girl like Namine. So after hardly watching the movie, thanks to giggling girls, and chatting friends, they left to go eat lunch in the food court.

Everyone had split up at that point- to get what they wanted, and then meet up at a few tables pushed together by Sora and Demyx. Axel and Roxas had gone to get pizza, which they now weren't eating, while Riku got Chinese for Sora and himself, Zexion had gotten Japanese, while the rest had all gotten happy-meals from the Mcdonalds. Go figure. Everyone was piled with their stuff at the tables, laughing and making fun of each other, while some where trying to speak to each other in a serious conversation across the tables, and Kairi was trying to talk to her lover about Kingdom Hearts, which she still hadn't read yet, so she was covering her ears to block out the words. It made Zexion smile a bit. Maybe people weren't so bad after all.

"Axel, stop sucking face with Roxas, some of us are trying to eat here." Riku said, making Axel stop making out with Roxas, and stick his tongue out at his friend.

"Shut it Riku, we all know you'd be doing the same with Sora if you weren't eating." Riku rolled his eyes, and went back to munching on the weird food he had picked up. What _was_ that anyway?

After a few more minutes of stuffing their faces with mall food, they split up to go be mall rats. Hardly anyone was actually going to buy anything.

"Me an' Roxy are goin' to hit a couple a' stores then leave, we have to study for that huge math test we have tomorrow." Roxas groaned. Math _really_ wasn't his best subject.

"Alight," Marluxia waved them off. "Me, Larxene and Nami are going to go see that new art store that opened up, I've heard its got _everything_. And I think the sale is still up." He dragged his girlfriend and his little friend over towards a big 'Grand Opening!' sign, and disappeared.

"Kay!" Kairi waved. " Let's go, Riku, Sora!" They followed her, a laughing about something or other she said. Sora's hands were folded behind his head, while Kairi pointed something out in one of the shops, and they ran over, their faces pressed against the glass like five year olds, rather than college students.

"I guess that means were left? Anywhere in particular you want to go?" The dirty-blonde male asked his friend, who shook his head. "Soooo… we'll just walk around, then?"

Zexion nodded and they walked off in the opposite direction that everyone else had. Zexion learned Demyx loved music. No, love wasn't a strong enough word. Maybe saying it was his whole life was a better explanation. He had started playing the sitar, a guitar-like instrument from India that he got from his mother, at the age of thirteen. And was aspiring to be famous, either as a singer and sitar player, or as a song writer. Seeing how he wasn't good with word, he explained, he was probably going to be the former.

In turn, Demyx learned Zexion didn't really know what he was going to be, if he was going to _do _anything. He actually had a lot of money, and didn't really need to work.

Demyx prodded Zexion on a bunch of useless information, like, what had his first pet been or anything like that.

"Why do you want to know things like that?" He asked after a few questions.

"Hmm… I dunno, I suppose I want to know everything about Zexy!" He said cheerfully. Zexion raised an eyebrow, and left it at that.

"Why do you call me Zexy? My name is Zexion." He asked after a few minutes, he hadn't really used nicknames before. They always sounded weird to him. Yet, for some reason, when Demyx said it, it wasn't.

"Cuz' Zexy is cute!" Demyx is a weird guy, Zexion decided. But he liked him anyway.

"Alright?"

They walked around for a few more minutes, till Demyx remembered that he wanted to get that new CD that came out a few days previous. As they walked in the store, a few people waved and said hello.

"Do you come in here enough that people know your name?" The shorter of the two asked.

"Heh," Demyx rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I do."

"It also helps that he worked here in high school." A voice behind him said. They turned around, and saw a tall man with black and gray hair.

"Xigbar!" Demyx yelled and hugged his friend.

"Whoa, easy there, kid." Xigbar pushed the other male off himself.

"Oh! Zexion, this is Xigbar, my old boss, the guy who owns Nobody's Music." He pushed the slate-haired man in front of him.

"Nice to meet you?"

"Hmm," Xigbar leaned down and looked at Zexion. "You sure know how to pick 'em, kid."

"Huh?" Zexion asked.

"Oh! I want to get the album, 'Heartless'!" Demyx waved around.

"The new one? By 'The Villains'?" Xigbar asked. Demyx nodded enthusiastically. They started discussing the band, and their lead singer, Maleficent. As soon as Zexion realized he didn't know anything, or care, about the band, he wandered off to look at the other genre of music.

When he got around to the section of rock, he saw a small boy in dark clothes standing there with a Struggle bat. Struggle was a popular game for teenagers. It originated in Twilight Town, but made it's way over to Hollow Bastion about ten years before. The kid looked up. It was Vivi. He had a pained expression on his face when he spotted Zexion.

Vivi was one of his sister's old friends, before…

"Er, Hello.." Vivi didn't speak very much, but when he did, it sounded rather strained.

"Hello. Haven't seen you and the others around much since…" His voice trailed off.

"Yes, sorry about her… im sure you miss her.." He said. They all missed her. He looked at his watch. "Sorry, I have to leave. My grandfather is expecting me." Zexion nodded and stepped out of the way of his sister's old friend.

"Zexy?" The slate-haired man heard his friend call behind him. He turned around and waved, and watched his energetic friend bounce over to him.

"Did you get what you came in for?" He asked. Demyx nodded and pulled out the CD from the plastic bag hw as now holding at his side. He proudly showed it off to him. There was an animated pink heart handing against a gray background, while these little black things with yellow eyes and antennas were reaching for it.

"Its sooooo good! Its-" His pocket started vibrating. "hold on a sec." He took out his phone, and looked at the message. His eyes flitted over the screen. The phone was a simple phone, not built for anything more than temporary usage, for texting and calling, but even then, the sound was awful. Demyx had gotten it at the store when he dropped his phone, and needed another one fast, it cost twenty bucks, but as many times as he dropped it, it was still working. So he's kept it for nearly a year.

"What is it?" Zexion asked, and then realized he sounded like he was prying.

"Its Nami," He didn't seem to mind his asking. "she's riding home with Riku, Sora, and Kairi. They live together… Except Riku; he's my roommate." Zexion nodded.

"So, should we leave?"

"Alright, I only think Marly and Larxene are here now, don't really want to imagine what there doing…" He shuddered.

-xxx-

As they walked into the parking lot, Demyx had forgotten where he had parked the van. After ten minutes of running around, and an exasperated Zexion, Demyx had finally remembered where the van was, and they had passed it. Multiple times.

Zexion got in to the front seat, which was bigger than the back. Namine's stuff was pushed to the side. Demyx got in and turned the keys, starting the vehicle. As soon as he backed out, Demyx put his new CD in the player.

"So, how'd you end up with this van?" Zexion asked, assuming it was Demyx's.

"Heh, it's kinda weird. Well my dad owns a bakery, and bought this van like, ten years ago. When I turned sixteen, he gave it to me, expecting me to crash it, or have it die on me. And he got himself a new van for the shop. And, to his surprise, I never crashed it once, and it _still_ hasn't died. And it's really good for carrying around ten people." He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah!" He replied.

"Are all of your friend's gay, Demyx?" Zexion asked, hoping to not offend his friend.

"Hmm, now that I think about it…Yeah, they are. Except for Marly and Larxene. And maybe you." He wasn't fazed by the question.

"And… Are you gay?" He asked, rather quietly, but Demyx didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, I think so. What about you?" His voice didn't show what he was feeling, but Demyx rather hoped his friend was gay, or at least bisexual.

"Hm… I don't really think about it, I don't really go out much." '_before I met you'_ "But, probably asexual or pansexual, or something…."

"Oh!" He said. "Ya know, you have really pretty eyes…"

"T-thanks." Zexion blushed. Not very many people thought that his eyes were nice. In fact, he didn't really either.

-xxx-

When they got to Zexion's house, he got out and waved goodbye. When he opened the door, he heard his cell phone give off a final cry before ending the call. Oops, he left his phone again. He walked over to the couch and looked at the missed call. There were four. Cloud, Cloud, Demyx?, and Cloud. And two voice mail. He was sure _not_ to leave his phone alone again. And honestly, he was gone for four hours, not a week!

He deleted the missed calls and listened to the messages. Cloud's was stating that he found another artist for his book, while Aerith was gone, and that he was meeting her next week. The second message was from Demyx, confirming that it was infact a butt call, since there were just muffled noises, and was during the movie, according to the time it was received.

He put the cell in his pocket, and want to his room, where he fell onto the bed with a _thud_. He rolled over and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. He was starting to _like_ Demyx. In a different way than a friend. And he didn't really know what to do. He would normally have asked his sister, but… he couldn't now. He really missed her, it was nice how she got him in the ways other's didn't, and she offered good advice, even if she wasn't very talkative. He decided to go visit her, he hadn't in at least a month.

-xxx-

**End: Chapter four! Was this updating fast enough for you? You are **_**definitely**_** going to see his sister in the next chapter.**

**Oh, and **_**yes**_** Cloud, Zexion's editor, is Sora's brother. Sora has the last name Strife, but Zexion doesn't make the connection because Cloud is married to Leon, so deal with it :p (and Cloud doesn't give away copies of the book like Zexion said, even to his brother)**

**Please give feedback! **_**iloveyouall.**_** (and thanks Abby, for being my spoiler person).**


	5. Of whitewashed walls and siblings

**Sorry I updated this so late! Hmmm, did anyone guess about what happened to Zexy's sister? Oh, you did? Good. I've been trying to make the chapters longer, but I'm lazy as… uh, [insert KH character that is lazy]. And I'm sorry about the grammar mistakes, as I have told some of you, my computer and typing program are **_**ancient. **_**It doesn't catch everything, and I don't either. Sorry. :D**

**Im getting SO attached to Zexy's sister its like, not even funny. I said it wasn't going to be a big part, but I lied a little. She's going to trigger something big. And im sorry, this wasn't supposed to be a fic surrounding tragedy! **

**Disclaimer****: On with the show! Gondola! If I owned this amazing **_**thing**_**, your life would be H E L L.**

**-xxx-**

Zexion had always hated the whitewashed walls. They were so pale and devoid of everything, lacking even the bare colors. And when there was a color, it was pale or dark red. After all, it _was_ blood. The life blood of humans. As he passed through the doors, they slid open, allowing those who wanted to enter, passage. It always felt depressing entering the hospital, people were dying every day. And he never entered the section that gave life; there was no reason to.

As he passed the reception desk, the woman waved to him. Yuna, as her name tag claimed, had just started working there before the slate-haired man had started coming in. She thought it was rather sweet, and was glad to have someone herself who would do the same, if she had to come to the hospital for uses other than helping others. She didn't even bother to sign him in anymore, she would just mark his name down. She was starting to see a change. He was so much sadder when he first came, panicked even. Most were, really, but she could _see_ the traces of happiness that had fled when he heard the news. He had come faithfully at first, she would see him every day. Then, after nearly a year, he would come every two or three days. And now, a month or so would pass. But today, she had seen happiness in his eyes again, a different kind, but happiness still. She smiled and pushed her short brown hair out of her eyes.

Zexion didn't even need to look where he was going, he had traveled this way so many times before, pushing the buttons on the elevator and stepping to his right. After a few more feet, he reached a door with big lettering on it. Who was going to need to read it? The families would know where their loved one was, and the patient inside wasn't going to need it. That's what Zexion hated about the long-term ward of the hospital. Full of clueless relatives, and brain-dead patients.

The nameplate was clear: "Ienzo, Fuu". He pushed open the door to reveal another painfully white room. He remembered Fuu saying that only weddings should have that much white. He silently promised to give her that white wedding some day, or, if she wanted, an iridescent wedding, to part from all that white.

The slate-haired man hated seeing his little sister lying there, pale and fragile, unable to even awake from the endless sleep that consumed her. It wasn't his fault, it was the drunk driver's, if any.

-xxx-

_Zexion sat in his room, with his laptop in his lap, typing away at his second book. He was amazed at how popular the book had been. He had originally started writing it as an outlet, or a place he could store all his thoughts. A place where all the elements that made up certain stories brilliant could collide. He had always fit words together well, and often the sentences slipped off his fingers like water off the roof._

_He had gotten paid an insane amount for the publishing of the book, and a second was immediately encouraged. He had bought his own apartment, and moved out. His sister encouraged the writing of the book, and had been the one who would wake up at three A.M. to throw ideas around with him. She was quiet, but could talk a lot when you knew her well. She had four best friends, Seifer's gang, and her brother. She was a little dense sometimes, but level-headed when it came down to it, backing out if Seifer's plan got to elaborate or dangerous. They couldn't hold her to it, Fuu was the only girl in the group and could be hurt if something went wrong. _

_He heard his cell ring, and looked at the ID. His mother. He had talked to her only a few hours before. Perhaps she had forgotten to mention something?_

"_Hello?"_

"…_." Then he heard sobs. "Zex-Zexion! Sh…she's…" His mother broke into a fit of sobbing again, before fully conveying her message along to him. He head an exchange of words, which he didn't quite catch, he heard his father's voice on the other end of the line._

"_Er, Zexion… Fuu has been hit by a car, and might not survive the night. You may want to get over to the hospital…" But he hadn't heard the last part, words were echoing in his head. 'Might not survive the night…'_

_-xxx-_

Zexion looked passed the small form of his sister, and on to the table next to her bedside. Flowers. Fresh flowers. Fresh flowers brought earlier that day. Seifer was in love with his sister, and came once a week, to bring new flowers, hoping she would wake up to see them some day. He never told her, before the accident, but he was regretting it now. Regretting it for the past few years.

He heard shuffling behind him, and turned to see his pale-haired sister's friend. He was opening the door in a away not to bother the other residents. _If_ they could hear it. Which most of them couldn't. Seifer's eyes widened when his saw the object of his affection's brother. He smiled weakly, walked past Zexion, and placed an envelope next to the flowers.

"Guess I still haven't gotten over her yet, huh…" He said weakly, his voice wavering a bit, and shook his head.

"I know people tell you that you should move on, but you shouldn't forget someone special to you, either."

"And you haven't either…"

"No," Zexion sighed. "But I will. This might be my last visit for awhile." Seifer nodded. He was going too.

"I'll, uh, see you around?" Zexion nodded this time, and the boy walked from his line of vision. He looked down at his sister. Her hair was always the same color as his, but now it was a faded silvery blue, rather than a light periwinkle blue-gray. It didn't look right anymore.

"Hey." He said softly. "I miss you. I can't really get advise from a sleeping beauty, huh? But… I met this one guy, at the opening of my fourth book. Can you believe I've wrote that many? And yeah, I still hate them. But the guy, from the book store, remember? One of the first things he told me was that he was going to change that. Strange guy, huh? We've been talking a lot lately, and… I think I might, kind of, just a little bit… _like_ him…"

-xxx-

Demyx loved visiting his parents. The only problem was that they were never home anymore; thus leaving the entire domain to his sister. And leaving _anything_ to his sister was a bad idea. It didn't matter if she _was_ a year older than him. Still a bad idea. Rikku and alone time meant explosions and chaos. And Demyx was… well, the same, except for the explosions part; he liked water much better. And Demyx plus Rikku meant an explosive childhood. And people wondered why she was never allowed to baby-sit.

He knocked on the door, he half expected it to fall in, or to set off some reaction that caused the house to blow up. When it didn't, he turned the knob and walked in.

"Hey, Rikku! You home?" He called. He heard a muffled reply from upstairs, and went to greet his sister. Rikku was digging through a pile of clothes on the floor; presumably all dirty.

"Ohay Demy, can't talk now. Busy." The blonde said, not looking up at her brother. He plopped down on the floor, sitting cross-legged next to the pile.

"With what?" Demyx asked innocently, rocking back and forth. His older sibling paused, before finding what she had been looking for.

"YES!" She danced around in a circle, jumping up and down. "Found it!" She hugged the article of clothing close to her chest.

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna go visit Lulu and Wakka! Their son was born last night!" She said cheerfully, "Wanna come? We're gonna see Yunie too! She's working today, though." Demyx nodded, and his sister went in to the bathroom to change into the yellow bikini top she had just fished from the mess.

-xxx-

"Yunie!" Rikku yelled at they entered the hospital. She ran over to her cousin in a flash of yellow, practically pouncing on Yuna across the desk.

"Hello, Rikku, what brings you here? You haven't got _another_ burn again, have you?" Yuna asked, almost weary of the answer.

"Nope!" She giggled, "Lulu and Wakka's new baby!"

"Oh! Yes, I remember, I saw them this morning. Wakka is really proud of his son." Yuna smiled, she liked that part of the hospital.

"What'd they name him?" Demyx asked, joining in on the girls' conversation. His cousin paused for a moment, thinking.

"I don't think they have, yet." She said, finally. "But they may have, and I haven't seen them in a few hours. Just sign in, and you can see them." The brunette slid a clipboard over to them, with a pen attached. Rikku snatched it away quickly, and scribbled her name down. The blonde handed it to her brother, and then leaned on the counted with her hand holding her head up, staring off in the distance.

Demyx took the sheet, and quickly scanned over the names. He liked reading it to see what other fortunate, or in many cases, unfortunate people who had come in to Radiant Garden Hospital that day. He looked, not seeing anyone he knew. Then, three names above his sister's, was someone's he had met recently.

"What did Zexion come to the hospital for?" He said, not really meaning to say it out loud.

"Hmm, you know Mr. Ienzo?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah! He's a friend of mine." Demyx said brightly, then realized where he was, and got slightly worried. What was his friend doing at the hospital? "Er, do you know why he came, Yunie?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to give away patient information… And it's his story to tell, but he often visits his sister." She said slowly, and smiled.

"C'mon, Demy! I wanna see the baby before visiting hours are up!" Rikku wailed and grabbed her brothers arm, and effectively dragged him away from the front desk.

-xxx-

**I'm sorry, Zexy doesn't seem like Zexy, huh? And I promise, his sister will disappear after a few chapters. I lovvvvvvveeee Demyx's sister in this. Rikku is adorable!**

**And well… Do you think Zexion acted appropriately for when he found out his sister was in the crash? Because I don't know. ****Musicislife166**** told me it wasn't enough, but today my older sister was in a car wreck, and we couldn't get a hold of the paramedics, and I didn't freak out at all. Am I a bad sister? I don't know her very well, since she moved out when I was nine. **

**Zexy is about 22 (19 in the flashback), Fuu is 20, Demyx is 22-23, all of their friends are about the same age as them, Rikku & Yuna are 24, Wakka and Lulu are 27-28, and the accident was 2 years, 7 months before. Err, any other ages you want to know?**


	6. Of breakups and 'no's

**I love Rikku! But she'll probably only be in one or two other chapters, to meet Zexy or something. And someone asked for Akuroku a few chapters ago, so here! (Don't worry, it's just a little bit)**

**Disclaimer****: If I owned any of these characters, your life would be **_**H E L L**_**. **_**I seriously need a new catchphrase.**_

_**-xxx-**_

Roxas rolled over on his bed, and looked up at the ceiling. He was bored. Really, _really_ bored. The blonde had done all his homework, which was saying a lot for the kid, and _really_ didn't want to read any of the books Axel or Marluxia had left lying around. And their TV just broke. And Axel was out at work with Marluxia. And Roxas was _really, really_ bored.

He looked at his phone, which said it was only two-fifteen. Another eight or nine hours till he could sleep. He wanted to hang out with any of his friends, but like his boyfriend and roommate, they were probably at work on a Saturday, or busy with something else. He groaned, and heard a faint beeping noise.

Looking around, he spotted flashing lights from his boyfriend's nightstand. '_He left his phone __**again**__?'_ Roxas thought as he jumped off his bed and walked over to Axel's. The number flashing across the screen didn't have a name attached, and he didn't recognize the number. Deciding to pick it up anyway, Roxas pressed the green button and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" He said cautiously. He could tell by the breathing that the other caller was female.

"You aren't Axel." She said in monotone.

"Er, No, I'm not. I'm, uh, his boyfriend." She sighed.

"Alright, I will talk to you, then."

"Uh, who are you exactly?" Roxas asked. '_maybe this will be a shot to relieve my boredom_'He thought.

"Paine. I'm Axel's coworker, and he's late. His break ended half an our ago. Do you know where he is?" Roxas sighed, and shook his head in exasperation. He was going to have to go out and _look _for the redhead, wasn't he?

"Sorry, I don't. I'll call you if I find him."

"Make sure to tell him he'll be fired if he keeps showing up late after his lunch break, like he's been doing."

"Like… he's… been doing?" Roxas wandered aloud, but the line was dead.

-xxx-

Axel had gotten back to their room at four hours later, after work. The call Roxas has received earlier had been bugging him for awhile, but he didn't want to ask his boyfriend about it. Instead he just kissed him when he came in, and went back to reading one of the books he said he _wasn't_ going to read. He was still hoping he had picked out one of the less-perverted ones.

"Oh, you forgot your phone again." The blonde said nonchalantly, glancing over at the redhead.

"I did?" He felt around his pockets, "Oh, huh, I guess I did. Thanks, babe." He shrugged, and looked around on the table. He was sitting on his bed, cross-legged, and picked up his textbook.

"Did… anyone call?"

"No… Well, one of your coworkers. She said to stop being late, but I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon." Axel smirked.

"You know I love you, Roxy." Axel said quietly.

He didn't forget his phone again.

-xxx-

"C'mon Dem, be serious. I think something's up with Axel. He was weird last night…." Roxas sighed and ran his finders through his short blonde hair. It was one of the rare, unusually bright days at the university, with yellow beams of light hitting everything. Quite a few of the students who had free time were enjoying the sun by sitting outside under the trees.

"Like, how?" A voice asked from the other side of the call. Roxas was walking down the concrete path towards the science buildings, despite the fact his classes wouldn't start for another hour. He wasn't looking where he was going, staring at the cracks in the ground below him.

"Well, he said 'I love you', like he wanted to make sure I knew…" His voice trailed off, not sure where he was going with that sentence.

"That's good, right?"

"I suppose… But he was called by his coworker to remind him not to be late anymore."

"That's all? He sounded like he was expecting the blonde to say he had found drugs under his boyfriend's bed.

"Yes! Ugh. What would you do if it was Zexion?" Roxas said, exasperated with his friend's not-worried tone.

"…Uh, heh heh, what do you mean?" Demyx squeaked.

"Well you _obviously_ like him. What would you do if he was Axel and you were me?"

"That wouldn't happen because: _one, _I _don't_ like him. And _two-_" Roxas didn't hear the second reason, his arm was slack at his side, and his mouth open, gaping.

Axel and a short black haired girl were standing in the middle of the campus. Kissing. Axel and a girl kissing. _His_ Axel. Kissing someone else.

He weakly lifted his phone up to his ear in time to hear his friend asking if he was there.

"Roxas? ROXAS? I CAN HEAR YOU. I KNOW YOU ARE THERE."

"I… think I know why… Axel was late and… everything." Roxas said weakly, his voice paling.

-xxx-

Demyx growled. "You two have been together for _years_ and he cheats on you? With _Larxene's _roommate?" The dirty blonde remembered Larxene mentioning how she was absolutely loathing being stuck with such a straight-laced girl this year. Her name was Xion, right? She apparently wasn't as goody as she appeared.

"Are you alright, Roxas?" Demyx asked.

"Yeah…" His voice was hurt, but the anger would definitely come later.

"Why don't you stay with Sora and the girls for a couple of days, I'm sure they'd love to have you, although they'd probably prefer it under better circumstances." He added, slightly chucking.

"Alright…" His voice was fading. Then there was a knock on the door. Demyx looked up, and realized it must have been time for Zexion to arrive.

"Kay. I've gotta go! Zexy is here!" Demyx said cheerfully. He hung up, but not before hearing a mocking voice on the other line:

"Pft. '_I don't like Zexy~' _my ass…" Demyx laughed, at least his friend was still capable of making jokes. It was a start. He put his sitar down carefully on the couch, and walked over to the door, opening it to reveal a short slate-haired man.

'_God, he's beautiful,'_ Demyx thought as he ushered his friend inside.

"Hey!"

"Hello, Demyx."

"Er, yeah, so… should we go to my room?" He offered. He had invited him over for no particular reason, he had just wanted to hang out. Zexion nodded and followed, dropping his olive shoulder bag at the door to his friends room; plopping down on the end of Demyx's bed.

After a few minutes, Zexion started reading a book, while Demyx has resolved to finish, or continue seeing was he was nowhere near done, writing the song he was working on before Roxas has called, and before Zexion had arrived.

In about half an hour, the question of Zexion's sister from the hospital simply wouldn't leave him alone. He was used to simple blurting any question or statement he had thought of, impulsively, but he was learning that Zexion had a little bubble so to speak, and if you got to close with your sharp words, it would pop. And he didn't like when Zexion was upset… it was just so… _unnatural_. He wanted Zexion to be happy.

But… he could only hold out for so long.

"Hey, Zexy?"

"Hmm?" He didn't look up from the book.

"What happened to your sister? Yunie, my cousin, told me she's at the hospital… If you don't mind me asking." Zexion froze for a moment and then reminded himself of what he had told Seifer at the hospital. '_Get over it'_

"She was… my best friend."

"Was?"

"Well, I suppose she might be… if she wakes up. She's been in a coma for nearly three years now. She was in an accident when she was coming to see me… She was the one to help me with the original draft of K- never mind." Demyx raised an eyebrow, curious to what it was, but when he asked, it brushed it off as nothing.

They got back to reading and writing their individual work, when Demyx asked an unexpected question. He was a bit afraid, but…

"Will you go out with me?" Demyx asked, "Like, as a date?"

-xxx-

"That bastard!" Kairi shrieked, glairing at the walls, as if it was their fault her friends had just broken up. That _her_ future brother-in-law, if she had any say in it, was now loveless.

"Calm _down,_ Kairi." Sora said. , "What happened, Roxas? All we know is that text you sent us. 'Can I stay at you guys' place? Axel and I broke up' doesn't say much. What did happen, and is it actually Axel's fault?" Sora said calmly.

"…He cheated on me. With Xion…" Kairi's frown deepened, and Namine had a worried look on her face. It didn't suit either of them.

"I'm so sorry, Rox," Sora said, placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"Did you _tell_ him you saw him?" Kairi said, making the blonde realize he hadn't. He shook his head. Kairi's face morphed into a mask of evil. She often was seen with that expression before something went horribly wrong. "Here," She pulled out her phone, " Call him. Break up with him, and make it _hurt_. As much as it can hurt a lying, cheating bastard anyway. Then gimme the phone when you're done."

Roxas was reluctant to take the phone, but he did, and dialed the number. While waiting for Axel to pick up, he listened in on his relatives conversations.

"..Must you keep calling Axel a bastard? He's still our friend…" Namine said quietly to her lover.

"Yes! Because I would say redheads are bastards, but that would be hypocritical, and so would be saying men are bastards. So, basically, it's just Axel." She said confidently, earning a giggle from her girlfriend.

"Hello?" _Axel_. Roxas' teeth clenched together.

"It's Roxas. Were through." The blonde said coldly.

"What? Roxas? Are you… serious?" He could _hear_ the heartbreak. Except he wasn't listening. He tossed the phone over to Kairi, who caught it flawlessly.

"Im done." He said, and headed up to Sora's room, where he wouldn't have to listen to his sister's girlfriend curse out his ex.

-xxx-

"No." Zexion's reply came, moments after Demyx had asked. Demyx hadn't really expected his _friend_ to reject it so… definitely. But he hadn't been expecting him to say yes either. So what _was_ he expecting? He didn't know.

The slate-haired man shut his book, grabbed his bag and left, without saying a word. Demyx sighed and leaned back against his headboard.

"Well, damn."

-xxx-

**I **_**love**_** this chapter! Sorry about the major lack of Zemyx-ness, I'll make that up in the next chapter. How did you like it? :D**

**The Akuroku thing was originally supposed to be where Axel was married (he got drunk once, when Roxas was visiting Destiny Islands, and got married to Rikku, who was later changed to Paine), and he never told Roxas, (the part where she says 'Paine' would have been "I'm Axel's wife") and he gets pissed and dumps him, but I thought that would have been horrible, so I cut it. I might make that a one shot though.**


	7. Of artists and boys

**Well, hello there! I'm surprised at how no one came up with a different scenario for that happened with Axel/Xion. You guys are rather funny ;) And not a SINGLE person said anything about how Demyx cursed ('Damn' is a bad word to him) at the end!**

**Ugh, I realized half of the communication in this story is via telephone. I'm sorry. And this story isn't even about Demyx trying to get Zexy to like the book anymore, lol.**

**dISCLAIMER****: If I owned these characters, your life would be **_**H E L L.**_

-xxx-

"Shit," Axel said as he leaned onto his hand, covering his eyes. He had just gotten off the phone with Kairi. She had been yelling at him about cheating on her girlfriend's brother. He realized that his blonde _ex_ had seen him with Xion earlier that day.

"Damn it, Rox, it wasn't supposed to be this way…"

-xxx-

Yuffie sat at her desk, tapping her pen on the wood, making hardly-noticeable noises, with the scraping of chairs against tile, and scratching of pen against paper. She was humming a song she had heard on the television the night before, while at her friends Zack and Aerith's place, keeping the latter company. The phone was beeping monotonously, informing the caller that the receiver had yet to pick up his line of the phone.

"Yuffie, has he picked up yet?" A blonde male asked the secretary, from an open doorway a few steps from her desk.

"Nope!" She said cheerfully, swinging her legs back and fourth. There was a click, and a voice canceled out the beeping.

"Yuffie, _stop_ calling me. I'm almost there." Zexion sighed.

"Well, Cloudster told me to call you!"

"That doesn't mean you have to do it."

"But he's my boss!"

"And has that ever stopped you before?"

"Nope!" She giggled, jumping up from her desk. She ran a few feet, and jumped on her boss's back as he was standing up, acting like the ninja she claimed she was.

"Argh, Yuffie! Get off!" Cloud ordered, and she ignored him, much to his dismay.

"Yuffie? I'm going to hang up now." There was a click and the dial tone went dead. The small brunette jumped off the blonde's back, and onto the floor.

"MISSION ACOMPLISHED!" Yuffie said rather loudly, but not a single person looked up. They were used to her wild antics.

"So when will he be here?"

"Soon!" She said, and skipped off to get more coffee. Her seventh cup that day.

-xxx-

When Zexion's call with the little ninja had ended, he found himself wondering who the new artist for his book would be. If he or she was good, there was a possibility that that person would stay for the rest of the books, as Aerith would be busy with her child. Cloud, his editor, had called him on Sunday to tell him that he would be meeting the new artist on Tuesday, around noon, and Cloud kept getting Yuffie to make sure Zexion would be there. It wasn't like he was ever late, though.

_Sunday_. When Demyx had asked him out. It wasn't like he was avoiding the blonde… it was more like neither party had bothered saying anything for the past two days. Which was unusual for Zexion's vibrant friend. He usually would have called at least six times by Monday. He was broken out of his trance-like driving as he spotted the building, and drove up next to it.

-xxx-

Zexion stood outside the meeting room fidgeting with the strap on his bag. He didn't exactly like meeting new people who knew his secret, or well, people in general. And there was a total of around ten people who knew he was the author of one of the most amazing books today. Fuu was obvious, and his parents. Then there was Cloud and Leon, his editors, although Cloud did most of the editing rather than his husband. And Yuffie, who hacked Cloud's computer one day. Then Aerith, for she did the artistic designs, and her husband who would hang around enough while she was still working. Then, the person talking over Aerith's job.

He could hear Cloud's voice through the door, although he couldn't distinguish between the words. Apparently, the new artist was a relative of Cloud's. And a girl. He was lecturing her on how she _couldn't_ tell anyone who he was. That was part of the job. And as long as Z.I. didn't plan to tell the world who the hell he was, his staff couldn't either.

The door cracked open, and Cloud called him inside- apparently the girl had agreed to not say a word to the public.

"And _remember_, I'd hate to do this to you, but if you let it spill, I'll have to sue. Come in here already!" Cloud called. Zexion pushed the door aside, and his eyes widened as he recognized the girl. Her blue eyes were wearing a similar expression.

"Do you know each other?" Cloud asked, as the two looked college students staring at each other in the white meeting room.

Namine finally grasping the situation, she gasped, "Zexion is… Z.I… _oh._"

"Yes…" Zexion looked out the window to his right, and stared at the sun shining through it.

"I just… Can't believe you could write something that amazing!"

"Are you implying…?" Zexion raised his eyebrow in amusement as the girl's flustered face.

"N-no! I just meant, I didn't really think a college student would be able to write something this good! Apparently I was wrong…" She smiled.

"Yes, yes, we find Zexion amazing in every way… Can we get onto what you came here for, Namine?" Leon rolled his eyes. A sketchbook was thrown from Namine's side of the room, and Cloud was chuckling at the two of them.

"You really should be nicer to your cousin-in-law, Leon. And Namine, you probably are going to need that back." Leon grumbled something about too many relatives, and Namine blushed and grabbed the book.

-xxx-

"Soo… I was thinking of putting Roxel on the front, in the middle. And then Arren behind him, like this." Namine sketched the taller male behind the short blonde, as Zexion watched over her shoulder, "And then, Im going to have Shion be sitting on a tree… And the King be looking back at Roxel. And a clock tower here…."

After being given an overview of the book, Namine had thought up an idea in her head to what the characters looked like, and surprisingly, they were very similar to what Zexion had in mind. The slate-haired male also liked her style of art. It had a faded look to it, yet still be brilliantly colored. He was rather hoping Aerith wouldn't come back… As long as Namine kept his secret. He liked having an author life, and a private life.

"I was thinking… Put Kuri on the cover…" He pointed to a vacant space behind the King. Namine looked up at him, and then nodded. What the author wants, the author gets. Zexion sighed.

"Alright… I've got the basics. I'll finish this up over the next week and a half. The deadline is the Friday after this one, right?" Cloud nodded at his cousin, "And… no spilling news about the book, even to my girlfriend or brother. And no releasing the author's real name." Zexion nodded this time. She put her pencils back inside the little blue pencil case, and returned the sketchpad to her small bag; Zexion hadn't noticed it before.

Cloud and Leon both got up and left, off to do the other notorious tasks they had planned for today. Namine turned around and looked at him, still bit shocked that her friend's new friend he had picked up in a bookshop, was _the_ author of the last few years. And the next few years to come. Zexion stared back, arms crossed in front of him.

"…Yes?" Zexion asked, unsure of what she was looking for.

"He really likes you, you know. When he first met you, he talked about you for an hour." Namine said calmly, whereas Zexion hadn't expected that at all.

"What does this have to do-" He was abruptly cut off by the smaller girl.

"Do you like him? You do, don't you?" She prodded.

"Well…" Zexion said, unsure how to answer, but opted to just admitting it. "I like him too…" He said softly.

"Then why did you turn him down?" She asked, accusingly.

"I'm… afraid of being hurt again." He mumbled, and she sighed.

"I will tell the world you are the author." Zexion's eyes widened, and he took a step back.

"_What?_"

"I will. I don't care if I'm sued. Cloud is my cousin, and he'll have our entire family's wrath if he does, so it would be light. For me. You, on the other hand, would have your biggest secret released to the public. Now, what would that do for you?" Namine said, defiantly. Zexion's eyes lowered. "_But_, I will keep the secret if you do one thing for me."

"What do you want?" He asked, bitterly. He was starting to wish he hadn't met Demyx's friends. The blonde girl was pleasant enough when working on the same side as oneself, but she was a harsh enemy when playing for the opposite team.

"You have to go on that date with Demyx."

"Huh?" He had been expecting something bigger. But, this girl was _Demyx's _friend. She was selfless, practically. He was remembering what it was like, when he had friends who would have done the same thing for him as she was doing for Demyx.

"So?" He sighed. "If you don't like it, you don't have to do it again. Please?" She begged.

"Alright. But you _will_ have hell to pay, if it gets out."

"Sure!" She smiled. "Oh… And are you going to tell Dem?"

"Tell him what?" He already knew the answer, though.

"Tell him that _you_, his friend, is his favorite author. _Ever_." Zexion sighed again.

"I don't know…"

"You _should_. However, I won't tell him for you." She turned around and headed for the door. When she placed her hand on the handle, Zexion spoke.

"You are a really good friend, you know." She smiled, and disappeared past the door.

-xxx-

"Hello?" Demyx said, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Demyx?" Demyx nearly dropped the phone. He didn't really expect the slate-haired boy to call. He put down the shirt he was folding. It was Riku's anyway.

"Zexion? I'm sorry about that… Ya' know, on Sunday… Just forget about it."

"No, it's fine…"

"No! Just forget it!" Demyx said hurriedly.

"So… you don't still want to go out with me?" Zexion asked quietly. Demyx was taken aback.

"No! I do!" Demyx waved his arms around, trying to ward off the idea, then remembered that Zexion was talking to him on the phone, and couldn't see him.

"Is the offer still valid, then?"

"Yes!" Demyx said, enthusiastically.

"So…"

"Uhm, want to go to the movies? This Friday?"

"Alright. I'll talk to you later, then."

"Sure!" He heard a click, and then stopped trying to hold in his excitement. The laundry didn't get finished till Riku came home later that night.

-xxx-

"Kairi! Just let me talk to him!" Axel pleaded over the phone.

"No! How could you _do_ that to him?" She screeched, and hung up. Axel decided he would actually go see Roxas the next day.

Kairi sighed, and plopped down on the couch next to her blonde girlfriend. She took the other girl's hand in hers.

"Must we do _everything?_ Boys are hopeless!" Her lover giggled, and replied softly.

"Which is why I love you," Namine leaned over and kissed the redhead on the cheek.

-xxx-

**I love this story, its growing on me! And thank you ****Musicislife166 ****for loving my story, despite the fact you dislike shonen ai.**

**Thank you! Reviews make me happy. **


	8. Of door slamming and pleads

**Yay! This one is going to be a lot of Akuroku. Cuz' of the break up and stuff. Oh! Zemyx is officially my favorite couple! Can't believe how far I've gotten… **

**And you are a butt, ****Musicislife166****, and you know it. We can be butts together. If we're both butts, who wears the pants in this relationship? Lol.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own this shiz. Got it memorized?**

**-xxx-**

Roxas' first instinct was to slam the door in his face. However, the fear of Kairi killing him for breaking her door had overpowered the annoyance of the redhead standing in the doorway. And _this _redhead was _not_ tiny. By any means.

"What do you want?" Roxas asked harshly.

"I just want to explain!" Axel pleaded. He tried to reach out and touch the blonde, but Roxas stepped back with a scowl on his face.

"Explain _what?_" Roxas practically yelled at Axel. "There is nothing to explain! You _clearly _kissed **her**. And how do I know that you really even like me in the first place? Was I just some worthless guy you were using as a cover?" Roxas glared at Axel.

"No! Roxy, I _love_ you!"

"Then why did you kiss _her_!"

"She kissed me!" They were both staring into each others eyes. Roxas in a glare, and Axel with a mixture of annoyance and pleading.

"Five minutes. That's it." Axel had a grateful look plastered on his face, and was lead into the living room. Axel sat down on one of the couches, while Roxas sat across from him, with his arms crossed.

"What did happen, then?" Roxas asked, skeptically.

"Well… I was helping her with her chemistry…"

"Did she want you to blow up someone's car?"

"Hey! They was only that once! Anyway… She would want me to help her during my lunch break, and she'd always make me late… but I didn't stop, 'cuz she was _really_ bad at it."

"And?"

"So… She told me she liked me… and uh, kissed me." Roxas lowered his eyes.

"That's the best you came up with? Just… leave, Axel. The others should be getting here soon." Roxas didn't look up when Axel shuffled out the door. '_Maybe he didn't care, after all….'_

-xxx-

"So, he called? And said he _did_ want to go out with you?" Namine feigned ignorance.

"Yep!" Demyx said cheerfully, "We're going out tomorrow!"

"Good for you guys, Demyx. I told you he liked you!" She smiled at her cheerful friend.

"So… what's the deal with Roxas and Axel? I haven't heard anything recently."

"According to Roxas, he came by yesterday. Tried to explain… but Roxas didn't want to listen."

"Oh! I feel a bit bad for Axel, despite the cheating. Rox can be harsh sometimes." Namine nodded in agreement. Her brother had been that way his entire life.

"Yes, he-" Namine was cut short when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Kairi's voice came from the kitchen. She walked out, holding a knife, and wearing a pink apron with a Paopu on it.

"Umm, Kairi, you might want to put the knife down, before you scare the person away." Demyx said, and Kairi looked down at the hand with the knife.

"Oh, I didn't notice I was still holding it." She placed it on the table as she was passing by, and opened the door. When Demyx as who was standing there, he quickly excused himself and left.

-xxx-

"I can't believe he was ever _friends_ with you. And that was years ago!"

"Just let me talk to Roxas, alright?"

"_No_. I can't do that! You helped Axel cheat on him!"

"Kairi, maybe just a few minutes?"

"Nami…. We can't be soft on her!"

"If I cheated on you, would you let me explain?"

"Yes… But that isn't relevant! He's a boy!"

"Well _I'm_ not a boy!"

"Which makes it worse, Xion!" Xion sighed, exasperated. This entire family was a mess, she concluded.

"If I explain it to you guys first, will you let me talk to him? And no, Axel didn't send me. He apparently hasn't been out of his room since he came here."

"Fine." Kairi grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her, and plopping down on a stool. Namine leaned against the oven, careful not to hit any of the knobs. Xion stood up as tall as she could, which admittedly wasn't very tall at all, and began explaining.

"Well, you know how Axel, Roxas, and I used to be friends when we were younger?" Xion started, and got nods from the other two girls. "So, I had a crush on Axel back then, as Roxas was like my brother. And I moved away as we entered high school, where you," She motioned to Kairi. "Sora, and Riku and the rest all came in. So I moved away, met people, and everything, but I always felt like Axel and Roxas were my real best friends. I didn't know Axel or Roxas were gay, I swear. I moved back here for college a while ago, but hadn't seen either of them. Until I ended up seeing Axel going into his advanced chemistry class one day. He didn't recognize me at first- but I jogged some memories, and it was _kind of_ like old times the few times we talked, but I couldn't shake the feeling something was missing.

"So when I realized I was failing chemistry, I immediately thought of Axel. He said he had time to help me during his lunch break at work most days, so he'd come then. He never mentioned Roxas, so I thought they had a falling out years ago, and that's what I had missed. I misinterpreted the signs- I thought he liked me, like I still liked him. So, on his way back to work, I kissed him, and I think Roxas saw it."

The girls were silent for a moment, and Kairi slowly nodded.

"That makes sense… Axel tends to get absorbed into chemistry, rather than talk about people sometimes."

"So, can I tell Roxas? Or should I come back later, and hope he doesn't slap the door on my face?" Xion smiled.

"I should think s-" Namine was cut off by a deeper voice.

"I heard what you said, Xion… I always kinda knew you liked him, and I guess I was afraid he liked you back, and was using me as a substitute or something."

"No way! He never like me! He'd always talk about you, when we were alone. You guys were the best friends, I was the added extra." Xion turned her head when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I was like that with me too! Until, I met the love of my life, the ever-perfect Namine!"

"You better not cheat on me with her!" Namine said, mocking hurt.

"What! No! I would never!" Kairi replied, and shook her head drastically.

"Well, I'm going to go talk to Axel. Have fun with your freaky lesbian fetishes." Roxas said as he looked through his pockets for his keys.

"I'm not a lesbian, though!" Xion called. Roxas laughed.

"You will be if you hang out with this family enough."

"WHAT?"

"C'mon Xion, Nami, we need to discuss some things!"

Roxas chuckled as he left the house. Xion was probably getting more than she expected, and he was wondering what on earth he had done in his past life to get this family. He wasn't sure if it was a blessing, but it sure as hell wasn't a curse.

-xxx-

**Sorry, short chapter. Actually, you're lucky to get anything at all (lol). I've been really focused on a different story I have (which I share with a friend). If you read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, you might want to check it out (Elena's Story, by I Swear On The Styx). Otherwise, review and yell at me for being late. Or just review. Cookies?**

**And yay! I get to go to bed before five in the morning! I'm not a morning person, I usually get my muse at three A.M.**


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